Gas-engine.



No. 000,770. PATBNTBD 00T. a, 1905. A. STEINBART. GAS ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 20. 1904.

SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOIE 4LP/wf WITNESSES:

No. 800,770. PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

A. STEINBART. GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wnNEssEs: INVENTUR if? ,l "1 BY s M ATTORNEY.

PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905. A. STBINBART.

GAS ENGINE APPLIOATIGN FILED PEB. 20. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

.the thimble in said cross-piece.

FUNTTED STATES Y PATENT OFFICE.

GAS-ENGJNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application led February 20, 1904. Serial No. 194,514.

To {tl/, whom, 7115 muy concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED STuINBART,a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Carlstadt, in the county of Bergen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (iras-Engines, of which the following is a specilication.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved gas-engine or internalcombustion engine which is simple in construction, strong and durable, and economical and compact.

ln the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, Figurel is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of one construction of my improved gas-engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical detailed sectional view of the cross-piece uniting the end of two adjacent cylinders and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the engine, parts being in section. Fig. 4 is a side view of the complete engine on a smaller scale. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line 5 5 5 5 of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 to 9 are diagrams showing the. various positions of the pistons in the cylinders.

This engine is constructed with two cylinders connected with each other at the ends, each cylinder' containing a piston, which two pistons are connected with the same crank of a 'main shaft. Each cylinder is provided between its ends with a circumferential row of ports controlled by the respective pistons, and the ports in one cylinder are inlet-ports and the ports in the other cylinder are exhaustports. Explosions take place in both cylinders and the engine may be so constructed to have an explosion at each end of each cylinder for each rotation of the main shaft or only one explosion at the same ends in each cylinder for each rotation of the main shaft.

l will describe the construction in which explosions take place at both ends 0f both cylinders.

The two cylinders A and A are located one above the other, as shown in Fig. 1, and have the usual water-jackets. The heads are made separate from the cylinders and are bolted in the conventional manner on the ends of the cylinders. The two cylinders have a common head at each end for uniting the bores of the two cylinders. ln practice each head consists of a yoke-shaped piece B, having two openings B, corresponding to the bores of the cylinders and of the same diameter, and preferably these openings B are united by a duct B2, formed between preferably hollow bridge-pieces B3 and B4, cast integ'ral with the yoke B and located, respectively, at the outer and inner su rfaces of the same. Into each openingv B a thimble C is inserted and properly secured, which thimbles each have a recess C at their inner ends and so shaped and located that the walls of these recesses, with the inner surface of the exposed ports ofthe openings B and the bridgeuniting the ends of the bores of the two cylinders, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The thimbles also serve for receiving the igniters, as at y in Figs. 2 and 3. Each thimble C has a longitudinal central bore C2 for the passage of the piston-rod, and the outer end part of this bore may be enlarged to form astuiiing-box C. By constructing the heads in this manner injurious effects from expansion and contraction are avoided. Each cylinder A and A contains a cylindrical piston D or D of a length slightly less than half the length of a cylinder, and these pistons are secured on the pistonrods E and E, passing through the heads, as set forth above. Midway of their length the cylinders are provided with a circumferential row of ports F F or slots extending in the direction of the length ofthe cylinder, the ports in the lower cylinder A, which arethe exhaust-ports, being a trifle longer than the ports F in the upper cylinder A, which are the inlet-ports.

A meniscus-sliaped duct Gr surrounds the upper cylinder A at the ports F, the width radially of said duct gradually increasing from the top to the bottom of said upper cylinder', as is shown partlyin full and partly in dotted lines in Fig. 5. This ductG is intersected centrally by a parallel meniscus-shaped duct H, which is the reverse of the duct Gr, and thus has its greatest width radially at the top and divides the duct into two side ducts, as shown in Figs. l and 3. At the top of the cylinder A the duct H is largest, and at the sides of the bottom of the upper cylinder the duct Gris largest, and both communicate with the same ports F, and thus as both ducts Gr and H communicate with the same ports F it is evident that they must necessarily be in communication with each other by means of said ports.

pipe H' with the gas-supply tank J, in which the gas 1s maintained at a pressure of about piece B3, form a substantially U-shapcd duct IOO The ductH is connected by a i live pounds to the square inch, more or less, by a suitable pump M. The duct (nl is connected with the air-supply tank J by side channels J"l and J, prelerably formed in the supporting-frame for the cylinders, and by pipes J, as shown in Fig. 5.

A meniscus-shaped duct K surrounds the ports F and is connected with the exhaustpipe K.

The air-pump M for creating a pressure in the ai r-tank .T and the gas-pump M for creating a pressure in the gas-tai'k J are driven Yfrom the main shaft, and their pistons are lixed on a common piston-rod. The crankpin is connected in such a manner with the main shaft that the pump-pistons have finished their stroke at about substantially the same time as the main pistons. The pipe M2, leading from the gas-supply pipe N" to the gastank, contains a throttle-valve operated and controlled by a governor N o'lg any approved construction.

The axis of the main shaft O is in a plane passing midway between the two cylinders A and A, and it has a single crank O2, connected by the two connecting-rods O O with the two piston-rods E and F/. Each piston-rod carries at its outer end a cross-head P, mounted to slide on the fixed guides Q, which guide for the cross-head ot' the upper piston is mounted above said cross-head, and which guide Q tor the cross-head of the lower piston-rod is mounted below the cross-head. The two crossheads are provided at their inner adjacentends or parts with `liat heads P, which are adapted to slide on each other.

Assuming that the main shaft is rotated in the direction of the arrow, as indicated in Fig, 1 and Figs. 6-9, it will be seen that the pistons in the two cylinders have different speeds at times. As shown in Fig. (5, the lower piston D has moved to the left farther than the upper piston, and this is accounted for by the fact that the upper connecting-rod isV practically horizontal, whereas the lower one is at an angle. As shown in Fig. 7. the piston has moved to the right in advance to the upper piston, and that is accounted Vfor by the tact that now the lower connectingrod is horizontal, whereas the upper one is inclined at an angle. In Fig. 8 the lower piston is also shown farther to the right than the upper one. This ligure shows how the cxhaustports in the bottom cylinder are opened be't'ore the inlet-ports are. Fig. 9 shows again that the lower piston in moving lrom right to left travels slightly in advance ol the upper piston, and thus closes the exhaust-ports before the inlet-ports are closed.

lt is evident that at times the upper piston travels laster than the lower one, because at each end oi' each stroke both pistons have the same positions in relation tothe cylinder-- that is, when both connecting-rods have the same inclination to the horizontal plane through the crank when the same is in horizontal position, as shown in Tlig. l, for example.

The operation is as follows: The pistons of the air-pump and gas-pump have the same length et' stroke; but the capacity ot' the airpum p is larger than the capacity ot the gaspump, so that for each stroke ol the common piston-rod of the gas and air pumps an air charge is delivered into the air-tank and a gas charge into the gas-tank. The air charge vfrom the air-pump is larger than the gas charge trom the gas-pump, and the capacity o't' the air-tank is preferably about the same as the capacity of the gas-tank; but for rich gas the air-tank may be somewhat larger than the gas-tank. It will thus be seen that ior each rotation ot' the main shaft charges ot' gas and of' air are delivered into the respective gas and air tanks. As the qualitity of air delivered at each stroke is larger than the quantity of gas, it is evident that the pressure in the air-tank would be higher ordinarily than the pressure in the gas-tank; but as the tanks are in communication in the manner that will shortly7 appear the pressure equalizes. I have pointed out that the gas and air ducts (nl and H are in comm unication with each other at the inlet-ports to the cylinders, and the air-pump delivers a greater quantity ot' air at each stroke than the gas-pump delivers a greater or less quantity ot' the air passes out of the air-tank by means ol the communicating ducts G and H into the tube H, connected with the gastank, until the pressure in thc gas and air tanks is equalized. It' now a port or set of ports in the upper cylinder is opened, air alone will pass into the cylinder, because air can only pass into the cylinders from the air-tank and its connections, as these contain nothing else, and the gas-tube ll, connecting the inlet-ports with the gas-tank, contains air in those parts adjacent, for a greater or less length, to the inletports. This air also enters into the cylinders from the tube H. This air lirst entering the cylinder after the ports have been opened acts as a scavenger and forces out the residue or products oi the previous explosion, as the exhaust-ports are now open. By thus admitting` air into the cylinder from the air-tank and from the conducting-tube H ol" the gastank the pressure in both is reduced. As by this time the air has. been removed or withdrawn from the pipe H, gas follows, and gas now passes into the cylinders from the gastank, and air passes into the cylinders lroni the air-tank.

The proportion ot' air to gas passing into the engine-cylimler depends entirely upon the proportion ot' the volume oi: air expanding in the air-tank and its connections, such as pipes, to the volume oll gas expanding in the gastank and its connections.

IOO

IIO

The exhaust-ports are always opened first, so that the exhaust-gas under pressure can escape before the inlet-ports are opened. If the exhaust-ports were not opened before the inletports are opened, there would be a counter-pressure from the products of the explosion opposing the admission of gas and air, or even forcing the air back into the air and gas tanks, causing the burned gases to mix with the air and gas. On the other hand, the exhaustports are closed before the inlet-ports are closed, so as to prevent the charge of air and gas that has been forced into the cylinder from escaping through the outlet-ports, which it might do if the latter were open longer. In a double-acting engine all this also takes place at the opposite ends of the cylinders, and so on alternately. The engine illustrated in Figs. l and 9 is a two-cycle double-acting engine. The admission of gas and air may be provided for in an analogous manner for a two-cycle single-acting engine. The crosshead construction may also be used in a single-acting engine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A gas-engine constructed with two cylinders having direct end communication at both ends of the cylinders, of a piston in each cylinder, a piston-rod on each piston permanently at right angles thereto, a connectingrod connected with each piston-rod, a crosshead for each piston-rod, a main shaft having a crank, with which crank the connecting-rods of both piston-rods are connected, substantially as set forth.

2. A gas-engine constructed with two cylinders having direct end communication, of a piston in each cylinder, a piston-rod for each piston permanently at right angles thereto, a cross-head for each piston-rod, the adjacent ends of which cross-heads abut to slide on each other, a connecting-rod connected with each cross-head, a main shaft having' a crank, with which crank the cross-heads of both pistonrods are connected by the connecting-rods, substantially as set forth.

3. A gas-engine constructed with two cylinders, having direct end communication, of a piston in each cylinder, a piston-rod for each piston permanently at right angles thereto, a cross-head for each piston-rod, a stationary guide for the outer end of each cross-head the inner ends of the cross-heads being movable in relation to each other, and a main shaft having a single crank, which crank is connected by the two connecting-'rods with the two cross-heads, substantially as set forth.

4. A gas-engine constructed with two cylinders having direct end communication at each end, of a piston in each cylinder, a pistonrod on each piston, permanently at right angles thereto, a main shaft having' a crank and two connecting-rods connecting said crank with the piston rods, substantially as set forth.

A gas-engine constructed with two cylinders, having direct end communication, inletports in the center of one cylinder, exhaustports at the center of the other cylinder, an exhaust-duct encircling the exhaust-ports, a gas-inlet duct and an air-inlet duct both encircling the inlet-ports, the said inlet-ducts being in communication with each other at said ports only, substantially as set forth.

6. A gas-engine constructed with two cylinders, having direct communication at their ends, one cylinder having inlet-ports at the center, and the other having exhaust-ports at the center, a duct surrounding the exhaustports, a meniscus-shaped duct encircling the inlet-ports, which duct has the smallest radius at the bottom of the cylinder, and another duct also surrounding the inlet-ports.I which second duct has its smallest radius at the top of the cylinder, said ducts being in communication with each other at the inlet-ports only, substantially as set forth.

7. A gas-engine, constructed with two cylinders, a yoke-piece uniting the adjacent ends of the two cylinders, thimbles secured in openings in said yoke-piece, and having their inner ends recessed to form a duct, substantially as set forth.

8. AA gas-engine constructed with two cylinders, a yoke-piece uniting the adjacent ends of two cylinders, thimbles inserted in openings in the yoke-piece and having their inner ends recessed, the said thimbles having central passages for piston-rods, substantially as set forth.

9. In a gas-engine, the combination with a cylinder having a common set of inlet-ports for both gas and air, of means for controlling the admission of an explosive mixture th rough said ports and of means for controlling the emission of the products of explosion, an airsupply duct and a gas-supply duct, both lead- Y trolling the emission of ther products of explosion, a piston in said cylinder, an air-supply duct and a gas-supply duct both leading to common inlet-ports for gas and air, and which ducts are in communication with each other at and around said inlet-'ports only, an air-tank connected with the air-supply duct, and a gas-tank connected with the gas-supply duct, a gas-pump for delivering air under IOO pressure into the air-taink` n gas-supply pump In testimony whereoflhzwe signed my nume for delivering' gas under pressure inte the gas-tank, said pumps being driven direct from the engine, the pistons 0i said two pumps su bstantiztlly completing their stroke vitnesses: before the inlet-ports in the cylinder are OSCAR F. GUNZ,

opened, substantially as set forth. i SOPHIE M. BAEDER.

to this specification in the presence of two subscribing \\'itnesses.

ALFRED STEIN BA RT. 

